1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to darts, those hand-propelled projectiles used in recreational target games, and, more specifically, to an apparatus which may be used to provide a dart with an accurate and precise point when, through use, it has become blunt or dull.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dart games are well known in the art, and are a popular form of recreation in many countries around the world. Typically, those playing the game must stand behind a line a set distance from the target dart board, and throw darts, which are small arrow-like projectiles, into the board. Areas of the board have various numeral values. Depending on the game being played, the object may be to achieve the greatest score with a given number of throws, or to reach "zero" first and exactly, starting from some fixed score, such as "501".
In some dart boards, the pie-slice-shaped regions assigned different numerical values are separated from one another by wire. Inevitably, some darts will strike the wire, rather than the target itself, and will not penetrate into the target. Such darts will fall to the floor, and, because the point is the heaviest part of the dart, the air resistance on the lighter, plumed portion will cause them to hit the floor point first. This, as well as the errant throws of beginners, who may frequently miss the target entirely, causes an early dulling or blunting of the dart points.
In the prior art, the blunting of the dart points through use was addressed by sharpening with a hand-held sharpening stone. Typically, the user would hold the stone in the palm of one hand while honing the point of a dart against the stone with the other. While a dart may be sharpened in this fashion, it is not humanly possible to hold the point consistently against the stone at a fixed angle or to hone to the same degree completely around the point.
The present invention provides an apparatus which may be used to place an accurate, precision point on a dart superior in all respects to one obtainable by hand.